Global Recordings Network knows the power of storytelling. In terms of our faith, storytelling has been an effective means of spreading the gospel for millennia and it will continue to be a powerful witness in this century and beyond. More than two-thirds of the world's population are oral communicators and that means they are people who prefer to learn and communicate using oral rather than written methods. GRN is passionate about telling the story of Jesus to the people in these communities and others who might otherwise never encounter Christ. They create and distribute audio recordings of Bible stories in over 6300 languages! With the help of these recordings, GRN missionary teams have been introducing people to Jesus since 1939.
Over the past few years, Global Sharing has been nurturing a connection with GRN, praying to be of service to them and looking for the right opportunity to build a bridge for their ministry. That day came when I was able to connect Roland Heck, a GRN missionary, with Home Jamang, our partner in Northern India. Roland was looking for a contact within the closed country of Bhutan; Bhutan has always been on Home's heart and Home just happens to have the connection Roland needs. They are both excited to forge a partnership to reach the unreached people of Luana with the stories of Jesus and His amazing gospel of grace. And Global Sharing is excited for the opportunity to continue walking out our mission, building another bridge of connection and facilitating another partnership within the field.
Here's a little background on this exciting new project provided by Roland:
Only one thousand or so Lunape people live in Lunana, which is considered the most remote village in Bhutan. Some even say that it is one of the most remote places in the world. To reach Lunana, one must take a long drive on rough roads followed by a multi-day hike over multiple high mountain passes. Experienced travelers usually need more than a week to complete the hiking portion of the journey.
Lunana sits at an altitude of over 11,000 ft. The region is extremely cold and harsh for most of the year. Crops do not grow well there. Therefore, most people are yak and sheepherders. The climate is so harsh that students only attend school for a few months of the year.
There are currently no churches or believers in Lunana. The difficult hike to the village and the harsh climate have made it difficult for people to bring the Good News to the people there. Further, the government has forbidden foreigners to travel to Lunana.
The Lunape are Tibetan Buddhists. There are currently no Gospel resources or translations in the Lunanakha language. In addition, there are no plans to create such resources. Because of inaccessibility and restrictions, the Lunape have very little access to the outside world, including the Gospel.
The Lunape are unengaged, which means that no one is actively trying to reach this people group, but that will change as this project is launched! We covet your prayers as we step out in faith and take the gospel to another unreached people group.
For more information on GRN, Lunana, or how to help move this project along, contact me at ron@globalsharingusa.org! I would love to talk about it!